The judge in the trial of Henry Okah-a key militant leader in Nigeria's Niger Delta accused of gun-running and treason- has stepped down from the case. Mr. Okah's alledged offences are punishable by death. He is being tried secretly in the city of Jos but his legal team says that he is sick and needs to be flown abroad for treatment. Through all this confusion, another militant group vows that two British hostages will only be released if Mr. Okah is released as well. Mr. Okah participated in The Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (Mend), which began in 2006 and has been responsible for many attacks on oil infrastructure and countless kidnappings.
This article demonstrates social cleavages in the Niger Delta region. Militant groups like Mend are fighting for a fairer distribution of oil wealth, and the political institutions governing the area are struggling in their fight with Mend. The groups are very powerful and this article reveals the difficulties that authorites are facing.
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